The Israel Ministry of Tourism has announced that tourism arrival numbers, for the first time in over two years, are approaching the same record-breaking numbers of summer, 2019. This upward trend comes on the heels of the country reopening to international travelers regardless of vaccination status in March. “We are thrilled that travelers from all over the world are eager to visit Israel again; ever since our total reopening to all travelers, we are seeing an influx of visitors,” said Eyal Carlin, Tourism Commissioner for North America. “With new hotels, restorations and renovations to many historical sites, new tour offerings, Read more
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This story originally appeared in the Vancouver Sun. I’ve been lucky enough to play golf at courses around the world. Here are some of my fave memories. Not necessarily the best courses, but some of the most memorable moments. WATERTON LAKES, ALBERTA Jasper and Banff, not to mention Canmore, get a fair bit of ink in Alberta golf stories. But I loved Waterton Lakes when I played there a few summers ago. It wasn’t in the best condition when I played it, but a Canadian golf group called Lobb + Partners has been hired to make renovations. You can’t beat Read more
/ Air Canada announced today the expansion of its international network with the addition of Bangkok, Thailand, the carrier’s first non-stop service to South-East Asia. The airline will also be resuming flights to Mumbai, its second destination in the strategic India market. Air Canada’s seasonal service to Bangkok will operate from its trans-Pacific hub at Vancouver International Airport, while the carrier’s Mumbai flights will operate from Toronto via London-Heathrow. Both routes are subject to receiving final government approvals. Officials say they expect to operate at 81% of their 2019 international capacity this winter. “We are extremely pleased to Read more
The Toronto tourism economy is rebounding strongly, but there are plenty of cautionary flags flying in the June breeze. I had a chance to sit down (virtually) the other day with Andrew Weir, Executive Vice President Destination Development for Destination Toronto, to talk about where the city is headed. Nobody’s popping the champagne corks just yet, but they might be thinking of what they might want to order at the LCBO when the time comes. “There’s absolutely a sentiment in the community now that we’re on the on-ramp back to that state of a thriving visitor economy,” Weir said. “I Read more
Tourism continues to recover at a strong pace, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization. Globally, destinations welcomed almost three times as many international arrivals in the first quarter of 2022 as in the same period of 2021, with Europe leading the sector’s rebound. According to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, international tourism saw a 182% year-on-year increase in January-March 2022, with destinations worldwide welcoming an estimated 117 million international arrivals compared to 41 million in Q1 2021. Of the extra 76 million international arrivals for the first three months, about 47 million were recorded in March, showing that the Read more
